Best Book Club, Best Food, Best Friends!!

Well, Here I am at our September Walden's Ladies' book club meeting!!

Most of our meetings are held in Elkridge, a small mountain town in the hills above Payson, the larger small town I live in.  But this time we traveled to Heber, in the mountains 45 minutes from home to visit the home of our book club's favorite Groupee, Stephanie.  Of course Stephanie once lived in Elkridge, but since moving has joined us periodically for book club activities over the years, which we love. (When I was living in Salt Lake I continued to attend this book club monthly for two years, even though it was an hour away!!  There is just something about the wonderful mix of individuals who make up this group that makes it so enjoyable.  I rarely miss.)

Wendy and I are shown above in Stephanie's kid's playhouse.

Above we see Stephanie, with the help of her daughter preparing some healthy fare.  Stephanie is involved in the healthful and natural food movement and suggested the book we read this month, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.  . http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/  This is the website about the book which focuses on eating naturally, food which are locally produced.  Stephanie gardens organically, and if you look in the front of the picture above on the left, you will notice that what we all assumed was a large salad on our arrival, is actually food trimmings destined for compost.  (It was the banana peel that initially gave it away for me ... lol)

Here we see our group, sans me of course, posed in front of Stephanie's half acre kitchen garden.  It was delightful to see the principles we had learned about in the book in action. The group above is, from left to right, Sandy, Carolyn, Suzanne, Stephanie, Wendy and Ann.

And here we are at the bountiful table, as we sample recipes from the book, including the plate that Carolyn holds, of Caprese salad, one of my long time favorites.  The other recipe that I really enjoyed was for the cucumber soup.  I am including the recipe from the website listed above.

CUCUMBER YOGURT SOUP Combine ingredients in food processor until smooth, chill before serving. Garnish with nasturtium flowers.

 The book was great, and we all talked about and considered the implications of eating foods produced locally.  We vowed to visit our local farmer's market, and as for me, I will soon be drinking raw milk, a lovely memory from my childhood. 

8 small-medium cucumbers, peeled and chopped

3 cups water

3 cups plain yogurt

2 tbs. dill

1 tbsp bottled lemon juice (optional)

1 cup nasturtium leaves and petals (optional garnish)